Roads
Roads in building plan areas
The municipality maintains 15 kilometers of roads in building plan areas.
Private roads with road associations and permanent residents
The maintenance of private roads in Vörå is managed using a two-part system. One part is the system previously established and practiced in Vörå, which involves full municipal responsibility for road maintenance. The other part is the system used previously in Maxmo and Oravais, where road associations that wish to manage their own road maintenance may do so and receive grants from the municipality under a set system.
To be eligible for a grant, the road must be kept in acceptable condition. Additionally, a valid meeting protocol and an account of the maintenance must be submitted to the municipality.
State subsidies can be applied for to improve private roads
Road associations may apply for grants for the improvement and repair of private roads. For bridge repairs, the grant covers 75% of the costs. Additionally, grants are available for improving the road’s load-bearing capacity and for repairs of flood and frost damage. For these, the subsidy is about 50%. The project cost estimate must be at least 10,000 euros in order to be eligible for a grant.
The ELY Centre of Southern Ostrobothnia grants the subsidies. Read more about state subsidies on the ELY Centre of Southern Ostrobothnia’s website.
Building and environmental committee
The municipality’s Building and Environmental Committee oversees proceedings for the establishment of road associations and related matters. The committee also mediates disputes between road stakeholders.
Road association
A road association is a private road in which the stakeholders have formed an association during official proceedings and that is registered with the land survey office.
Transferring maintenance responsibilities
A road association may, through agreement, transfer maintenance responsibilities to the municipality, which then handles all practical maintenance work on the road. The road association covers twenty percent of the costs, which are offset against the tasks of the trustee and snow plowing costs.
Grants for maintenance costs
Road associations may manage their own maintenance and apply annually for funding from the municipality. Deadline for application is 15th September. Information and application forms are available.
Snow plowing
Snow plowing is performed on all private roads with permanent residents. In addition, all private driveways longer than 100 meters are plowed for a fee of 101.22 euros per driveway (including VAT).
Road lighting
Road lighting is expanded by separate decision. The municipality maintains road lighting by carrying out annual repairs and replacing bulbs.
Application documents for municipal maintenance grants for private roads must be submitted to the technical sector no later than September 15 each year. According to current policy, the municipality pays an 80% grant based on the road association’s verifiable costs. However, the size of the grant correlates with the available budget allocated for this purpose. If maintenance costs exceed 1,000 euros per km, the portion exceeding this amount is not eligible for the grant.
The application form must be used and completed. Costs must be summed up so that the eligible cost for the grant is clearly identified. Self-made cost summaries will not be accepted.
The minutes from the latest annual meeting and the audited financial statement must be attached to the application. Copies of receipts are not required. If an annual meeting is not held every year, which is permitted under Section 60 of the Private Roads Act, then only the financial statement needs to be attached.
The basis for invoicing the road shareholders, meaning the unit length, must be updated and in order but does not need to be attached to the application. Wages and fees paid by the road association are eligible for grants provided that statutory contributions have been paid, such as social security contributions and taxes. Entries in the accounting that are only labeled as wage, fee, etc. are therefore not eligible for the grant. The same applies if you wish to offset unit costs against work done, in which case the wage must also be treated as the law requires.
The eligible maintenance cost is equal to the road association’s maintenance cost minus any maintenance grants received from authorities. The road must serve permanent residences and be at least 200 meters long to qualify for the grant.
Changes in grant criteria due to amendments to the Private Roads Act
The municipality decides on the grants awarded from its own funds for the maintenance of private roads, on the grant conditions, and on the monitoring of grant usage. It also decides whether the municipality will fully or partially take responsibility for the construction or maintenance of a road. A prerequisite for the grant is that a road association has been formed to manage matters concerning the road, and that the information about the road association and the private road in the private road register and the road and street network information system are up to date as required by Section 50 of the Private Roads Act.
If a receipt confirming the notification has not been previously submitted, it must be attached to the application.
The register is maintained by the National Land Survey of Finland, and the information system is managed by the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency (so-called Digiroad). Contact details and further information can be found on the Transport Infrastructure Agency website https://vayla.fi
Other information
Road associations are reminded to check that traffic signs and address signs are in good condition along the road. If necessary, please straighten the posts and clean the signs.
Form
Application for Maintenance Grant (PDF)